Ferrari’s Sunday at Zandvoort produced something the modern paddock rarely sees: two drivers from the same garage, on the same afternoon, taking public issue with the same pit wall.
Lewis Hamilton finished fourth at the Dutch Grand Prix and put the blame squarely on time lost behind his team-mate.
“I lost several seconds behind Charles, which I think ultimately probably would have made the difference,” he said after a race won by Lando Norris.
Charles Leclerc, who came home fifth, was just as unimpressed with what came out of the pit wall on his side of the garage.
Read also: Gauff sends huge US Open warning in Cincinnati
“I didn’t really understand why we had to box so close to George’s pit stop, because that really was kind of signing to finishing behind George,” Leclerc said.
Hamilton falls behind Russell in the standings
The result dropped Hamilton from second to third in the drivers’ championship. Russell, who joined Kimi Antonelli on the podium behind Norris, moved above Hamilton on countback, leaving the seven-time world champion third and 59 points off Antonelli at the top with much of the season already gone.
Hamilton framed his afternoon as a lost opportunity rather than a lost cause.
“Today was definitely frustrating for me. I’m here to win, and I really believe that this team can win,” he said.
“Whether or not we couldn’t win this race, but to win championships, you have to pick up every point.”
The car changed between practice and qualifying
Hamilton’s weekend had already been derailed a day earlier. He qualified seventh for Saturday’s sprint, more than six-tenths off sprint pole-sitter Russell and half a second down on Leclerc, and blamed changes Ferrari had made between Friday practice and qualifying.
“P1 felt good. We made subtle adjustments to the car, but when we got into qualifying it was a completely different car, so we need to figure out what went wrong,” he said.
Russell went on to win the sprint from pole ahead of Leclerc and Norris.
Read also: Fils makes history with first Masters crown
Leclerc believed he had life in his tyres
Leclerc’s frustration ran along a different line. He believed the pit wall had abandoned an option that could have swung his own afternoon.
“I felt like there was a bit more in my tyres. Obviously, Lewis and I were on different strategies at that point, but I felt that what was right was staying a bit longer on the track,” he said.
Norris’s win was his second in a row and trimmed Antonelli’s lead at the top. Max Verstappen was already out by then, his home race ending on the opening lap when he lost the car on the damp banking of Zandvoort’s final corner.
Ferrari’s home race at Monza follows in two weeks.
Read also: FIFA power struggle explodes as CONCACAF president sends pointed leadership message to Infantino
Read also: Max Verstappen’s terrifying Dutch GP crash sparks major F1 safety warning
